FOSTER ALBRA MCEDWARD (1921 - 2019)
"Mac"
(Pilot)
(CNAC Septmeber 1946 - 1948)
(Captain - 1946?)
(Hump Flights - XXX)

I am putting some history together of my Dad (about to be 86 this oct.2007). He was a HUMP pilot during WWII, then worked out of Saudi Arabia for Aramco for 8 years and later for Aero Service photographing all of Egypt in 1961. My Dad's name is Foster "Mac" McEdward. He flew for 54 years and was fortunate to fly a DC-3 N8009 for the last 20 years of his career. He was a member of the Hump Pilots Association for many years. Anyone out there remember him? He would love to hear from you all. Dad is now 86 and resides in Vermont where he has called home for over 60 years. I also live in Vermont and would be happy to relay any information/reactions. Do you have any suggestions as to where I can find out more about the Aero Service and people who worked for them during the early 60's? Pennie Rand mrand@gmavt.net more from Pennie... March 24, 2009 Tom, Thank you for contacting me about my dad and his tenure with CNAC during WWII. I will be seeing him soon and will try to find some papers in his collection that show he was in fact a member of CNAC. He has amazing 16mm movies of the "coolies" on the runways and other aerial shots that he captured when he had a chance. I will also ask him for some names of navigators in case that helps you identify him. He is still alive but not in great health. The sooner we can get info from him the better. He is still sharp as a tack. Your website is fantastic. That represents many hours of work. I look forward to communicating with you further. Pennie McEdward-Rand age 46...daughter of Foster Albra McEdward and one last story from Pennie, then she is going to re-write her dad's story... March 27, 2009 Here is an approximate timeline for you... * June 1943-Jan. 1945 in China with the Air Force *CNAC mid 1946 - 1948 * CATC 1948-1949 Dad left Shanghai the morning the Red Army came to town. He remembers how it caught everyone off guard. Even though people knew they were coming to take over, it happened about a month earlier than many had expected. At the time, dad lived on the 7th floor of a hotel. He could hear the Army marching into the area of the city where he was. He immediately left the apartment and all of his belongings behind including one of his favorite cameras. The elevator man did not want to give him a ride down the elevator for fear of being caught. So dad ran down the stairs. He then saw a taxi cab. He asked the guy to give him a ride to Lungwha Airport where the DC-3 was parked on the ramp. The taxi driver refused. The taxi driver also feared being caught by the communists that were invading. Dad then wrestled the taxi driver away from the car and told the taxi driver his car would be at the airport with the keys in the ignition. Dad drove to the airport 10 miles away, loaded the plane with as many passengers as he could and flew to Hong Kong. That is just one of his many stories. I look forward to sharing more with you and putting a brief history together on my dad. Pennie While she was searching for Capt. Corey, my friend, Patti Gully, found this article on Foster McEdward. Portland Herald Press, 22 May 1950 Unfortunately, "Mac" passed away January 17, 2019. Here is his obituary. If you would like to share any information about Foster McEdward or would like to be added to the CNAC e-mail distribution list, please let the CNAC Web Editor know. Thanks!